The forward deployed guided-missile destroyer USS Donald Cook (DDG 75) welcomed aboard Romanian President Traian Bsescu while the ship was in port in Constanta, April 14.

Bsescu was met by members of the U.S. Embassy and Donald Cook's Commanding Officer Cmdr. Scott Jones. He was then given a tour of the ship, including the Navigation Bridge, Combat Information Center and Engineering Control.

"Operating in the Black Sea has been an incredible opportunity for us to further strengthen our ties and improve our interoperability with an important strategic partner, Romania, who just recently celebrated their 10th anniversary as a member of NATO," said Jones. "We feel that this is an important time to demonstrate our resolve and shared commitment with NATO; that we will maintain the right presence where it matters to promote peace and stability."

Donald Cook's visit to Romania is an example of the U.S. Navy's commitment to strengthen ties while working toward mutual goals in the Black Sea. This multi-mission destroyer is there to reassure our NATO allies that we share a commitment to promote peace and stability in the region.

"We have also been privileged to host several members of the Romanian Navy during our time in the Black Sea," added Jones. "This professional exchange has been valuable for my crew, allowing us a chance to discuss future exercise opportunities, and helping to reinforce, on a personal level, the strong ties between our two navies and our two nations."

Donald Cook, the first of four Arleigh Burke-class destroyers to be forward-deployed to Rota, Spain, is serving on a scheduled patrol in the U.S. 6th Fleet area of operations as part of the President's European Phased Adaptive Approach (EPAA) to ballistic missile defense in Europe.

U.S. 6th Fleet, headquartered in Naples, Italy, conducts a full range of maritime security operations and theater security cooperation missions in concert with coalition, joint, interagency, and other parties in order to advance security and stability in Europe and Africa.